psychodynamic approach

Question 1

summarise the basic assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

Answer 1

The psychodynamic approach emphasises how unconscious motives and desires as well as childhood experiences all shape personality; Freud believed that behaviour is largely controlled by the unconscious mind. Psychoanalysis was developed as a therapy associated with freud

Question 2

what is the role of the unconscious

Answer 2

The unconscious is a part of the mind of which is inaccessible to the conscious mind. Though most of our behaviour is determined consciously, it is the product of the unconscious mind which reveals itself through Freudian slips.

it also serves to suppress traumatic memories from reaching the conscious. this is through defence mechanisms

Question 3

explain the defence mechanisms

Answer 3

defence mechanisms operate by distorting the reality of situations so a person can better cope with a situation..
eg repression, denial, displacement

Question 4

outline repression as a defence mechanism

Answer 4

it is an unconscious blocking of unwanted and unacceptable thoughts. despite these thoughts remaining in the unconscious they still influence behaviour without the individual being aware as to why

Question 5

what is denial as a defence mechanism?

Answer 5

the refusal to accept reality as what it is in order to avoid painful feelings associated with a situation

Question 6

outline what is meant by the term ‘id’

Answer 6

the id operates according to the pleasure principle in that it requires immediate gratification regardless of the circumstances. it also contains the libido

Question 7

outline the function of the ego

Answer 7

the ego mediates between the impulsive demands of the id and the moral demands of the superego. therefore it operates according to the reality principle whereby it delays gratifying the id until there’s a more appropriate opportunity.

Question 8

outline the term superego

Answer 8

the superego determines which behaviours are permitted and produces feelings of guilt when its rules are broken. this process is through the conscious internalisation of societal rules.

Question 9

The psychosexual stages of development

Answer 9

Freud believed that we developed our personality through a sequence of five stages:

• Oral
• Anal
• Phallic
• Latent
• Genital
• Id demands immediate satisfaction of its desires creating an (unconscious) psychosexual conflict.
• Conflict is resolved and child successfully moves onto the next stage, if an appropriate amount of satisfaction is received.

Question 10

Psychodynamic Strength

Answer 10

One strength of the psychodynamic approach is that freud focused on the effects that childhood experiences have on the developing personality. This is a strength because Freud was the first psychologist to realise the importance of childhood. An example of this is the Little Hans case study. Hans had a fear of castration which led to him having a phobia of horses.

Question 11

psychodynamic Weakness

Answer 11

One weakness of the psychodynamic approach is that it is unfalsifiable.
for example the id, Oedipus complex, defence mechanisms etc. all occur in the unconscious and so cannot be directly observed and measured

A lack of empirical evidence limits the approach’s reliability and validity which in turn reduces psychology’s status as a science.

Question 12

how is the psychodynamic approach deterministic

Answer 12

Psychodynamic theory is strongly determinist as it views our behavior as caused entirely by unconscious factors over which we have no control. This is a weakness because it suggests we have no conscious free will over our behavior, leaving little room for the idea of personal agency (i.e., free will).

An example of this is the psychosexual stages.

Question 13

Displacement

Answer 13

Ego takes its emotion out on a substitute person or object.

This reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the emotion in a manner that protects ego.

Effect on behaviour = person displays strong emotion but focuses it on an uninvolved person/object.

Question 14

Limitation of Defence Mechanisms

Answer 14

Defence mechanisms lack scientific credibility. E.g. denial, repression and displacement are said to occur at an unconscious level and so are not open to empirical testing. A lack of empirical evidence limits the approach’s reliability and validity. This in turn reduces psychology’s status as a science. DMs cannot be falsified.

Question 15

Oral Stage

Answer 15

birth to 18 months.
•Mouth is erogenous zone
•Child enjoys sucking and tasting.
•Id is present (from birth); seeks immediate gratification.
•Conflict: weaning away from mother’s breast.
•If a child’s needs are not satisfied (over indulged or frustrated) fixation occurs.
•Signs of an oral fixation: nail-biting, smoking, chewing gum, excessive eating and drinking, being over-dependent on others

Question 16

Anal stage

Answer 16

18 months to 3 years
•Anus is erogenous zone, child enjoys defecating.
•Ego is present so child knows their wishes can bring them into conflict with the demands of the outside world
•Conflict: first conflict with authority occurs during toilet training - adults impose restrictions on when and where the child can defecate so child has to learn to control their bodily needs.
•If child’s needs are not satisfied (overindulged or frustrated) fixation occurs.
•Signs of an anal fixation: orderliness, stubbornness, a compulsion for control.

Question 17

Phallic stage

Answer 17

3 to 5/6 years.
•Genitals are an erogenous zone, explains gender development
•boys and girls experience a different conflict:
•Boys = Oedipus complex.
•Girls = Electra complex.
•In both genders, the conflict is resolved through processes of identification and internalisation.
•superego is formed at this stage
•Most of child’s personality is formed by the end of this stage.

Question 18

Phallic Stage: Oedipus Complex.

Answer 18

• Boy develops incestuous feelings towards mother (id’s desire)
• Boy becomes jealous & hostile towards father because sees father as a rival for mother’s love; wants to kill father (Oedipal death wish).
• However, boy knows father is more powerful than him.
• Boy fears that father will castrate him (castration anxiety) because of the boy’s feelings.
• To resolve conflict, boy:
• Identifies with father (wants to be like him).
• Internalises father’s attitudes and values (internalisation) including his male gender identity.
• Incorporates his father into his own psyche - this becomes his superego.
• Deals with his desire for his mother by displacing it onto other women.

Question 19

Phallic Stage: Electra Complex (by Jung not Freud)

Answer 19

Girls realises that she has no penis.
•Because she has no penis she sees herself as powerless, and wishes that she had one (penis envy).

• She starts to desire her father (id’s desire), because he has a penis.
• She also becomes jealous and hostile towards her mother, because she believes her mother castrated her and sees the mother as a rival for father’s love.
• Eventually, she starts to identify with and internalise her mother’s attitudes and values, developing a superego and a female gender identity.
• She represses her desire for a penis and substitutes it for the desire for a baby.

Question 20

Genital Stage

Answer 20

• Puberty into adulthood.
• The ego & superego are fully formed.
• Libido becomes focused again on the genitals (but not to the same extent as phallic stage) and stays there for the rest of the life.
• Sexual desires become conscious.
• Focus is on developing relationships with members of the opposite sex.

Question 21

Little Hans Case Study

Answer 21

• Little Hans feared that horses would bite him
• Freud used the Oedipus complex and defence mechanisms to explain his phobia
• Claimed Little Has displaced his fear of his father castrating him onto the horse and it biting him
• Provides support for the Oedipus complex and the theory of defence mechanisms

Question 22

Limitation of Freud’s Diagnosis of the Little Hans case study 1

issues with sample/generalisation

Answer 22

It is one case and so it is an unrepresentative sample which raises questions about generalisation of the findings

Even if Hans did have an Oedipus Complex it does not mean that the findings can be generalised to all boys.

Therefore, the findings lack external validity

Question 23

Strength of the Psychodynamic Approach - real world application

Answer 23

Approach has had real-world application with the development of psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis was the forerunner to many modern-day psychotherapies (‘talk therapies’) that have since been established such as counselling, couples therapy, etc.

The development of successful therapies increases the approach’s credibility.

Question 24

Limitation of the Psychodynamic Approach - case studies

Answer 24

Limitation of the Psychodynamic Approach - case studies
The approach used the findings from case studies (idiographic) to establish universal theories (nomothetic).

it is not credible to make universal claims about human thought and behaviour based on the findings of such a small, unrepresentative sample. nonetheless, Freud argued that human behavior is governed by universal processes that apply to everyone e.g. the tripartite structure of the mind (nomothetic).